Snips' Revenge
by Atana
Summary: The Prank War between Severus Snapes and Britomartis Vox and the Marauders takes an unexpected turn. A poignant Snips and Spirals tale.


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Snips and Spirals Fanfic:  
  
"Snips' Revenge"  
  
Text by Lady Tesser  
  
illustrations by Atana  
  
(see her bio page for the url)  
  
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DISCLAIMER: Snips and Spirals would like to say that Sirius Black sucks his thumb and wears pink frilly underwear.  
  
"We challenge you to a day-long prank match," James Potter announced.  
  
Britomartis 'Spirals' Vox and Severus 'Snips' Snape raised their eyebrows, putting their spoons down as one, and stared at the four boys comprising the Marauders.  
  
"An honest prank exchange for the day?" Martis asked. "Sounds promising."  
  
"What are you up to?" Sev asked suspiciously.  
  
Sirius Black smirked, drawing back a strand of black hair over his ear. "Nothing, Snivelly, we just felt it would be entertaining to have an all-out prank day before Christmas Break. You know - you pull a slimy snake prank, then we'll answer with our own." He narrowed his eyes. "Of course, if you're cowards - "  
  
"Shut your pie hole, Cirrhosis," Martis snapped. "It takes four of you to equal the two of us, so we take up your offer." She poked a fingertip up under his and Potter's jaws. "The contest officially ends at five o'clock this afternoon. Whomever pulls the worst prank wins."  
  
"Agreed," Potter said, brushing her hand aside.  
  
"No life-threatening ones," Sev added.  
  
"Of course," Black sang, pulling away from her fingertip.   
  
Remus Lupin bit his lip. "No, really, no life-threatening ones, Sirius."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Peter Pettigrew giggled. "Can't wait!"  
  
Martis picked up her spoon and began eating her oatmeal again. "We'll be waiting."  
  
Sev smiled nervously. "Eagerly."  
  
The Marauders walked back to their table. Sev turned back to his best friend. "Spirals! What the hell did we just agree to??"  
  
"Civil pranking with the Marauders," she replied. "Wipe your face, Snips, you have a milk mustache."  
  
He brushed his mouth with his napkin. "I'm not drinking milk."  
  
Martis adjusted her sunglasses then looked back at the Marauders. "Well, then, it was a good thing that I wired their jaws shut."  
  
Sev thought about it. "Do I still have a milk mustache?"  
  
"No. You wiped that prank off. However, the Cauldron Brains will not be able to eat breakfast."  
  
He thought about it. "When you touched their chins - "  
  
"Simple muscle manipulation. It won't work when they try to get food in their mouths."  
  
From across the Great Hall, Sirius Black and James Potter screeched in horror as they realized their jaws will not open for them to eat.  
  
Martis grinned a nasty grin. "Let the games begin."  
  
* * *  
  
The Prank War (as the event became known) between the Marauders and Snips and Spirals was a rather entertaining day for the rest of the Hogwarts students. Early-mid December around the school was quiet and rather boring, as snow fell constantly outside and the holidays were coming up but not soon enough, and studying for end-of-term tests took up a lot of time.  
  
There was the instance in which Sev was turned into a giant wombat ...  
  
Then there was the instance in which all the snakes in the school followed the Marauders around (it turned out Pettigrew was terrified of snakes) ...  
  
Then there was the instance in which a dungbomb was thrown at Martis ...  
  
Then there was the instance of all four Marauders urinating bright orange liquid in the middle of an afternoon class (Sev just smiled coldly and said nothing) ...  
  
Then there was the instance of Martis's hair standing on end - all four feet of it ...  
  
Then there was the instance in which James Potter received a Howler that loudly complained about his drooling problem in conjunction with his need for boxing gloves while he sleeps ...  
  
Then there was the instance of Sev and Martis running through the corridors, trying to avoid the flying mass of self-guided cream pies ...  
  
Then there was the instance of the Marauders walking around in pink and orange uniforms and swearing they did not see these colors ...  
  
Then there was the instance of Sev trying to pick bats out of his hair, which made more bats quickly reappear as soon as he pulled them out ...  
  
Then there was the instance of a Wanted Poster showing mug-type shots of all four Marauders (all either trying to pick their noses or crossing their eyes) with the legend 'Have you seen these four morons? Wanted for elf-abuse in public, familiar fondling, and thirty-eight other counts of really grotesque offences ... '  
  
Then there was the signs that appeared over the heads of Martis ('I'm the Marauders' little snuggle-bunny') and Sev ('Marauders are Cool - Slytherins Drool') ...  
  
It was after this particular prank that Martis had finally grown tired of the game. "That's it, Snips," she stated around four-thirty that afternoon as they plowed through snow in the Quad. "I'm ending this with a bang. You said you worked with Cornish pixies in your CMC class today, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Sev answered. "That's when I got turned into a wombat."  
  
"Is Professor Kettleburn in?"  
  
"Hm. No. He should be having his high tea at this time with Professor Flitwick."  
  
"Excellent." She thought about it. "Is it true that Sissius Black has got his eye on some girl?"  
  
Sev rolled his eyes. "Yes, and he wouldn't shut up about it. We're thirteen-years-old, I don't think chasing girls should be a high priority."  
  
"Well, he doesn't have any brains going for him, so he has to find some sort of profession that doesn't require much skill." She patted the bulge of snake hidden under her sweater. "Medusa and I are going on a field trip. You better hide in your room while the contest is still going on."  
  
"But Spirals - "  
  
"I'll risk getting pranked." She poked his shoulder. "Now get going back to Slytherin Tower."  
  
* * *  
  
The Marauders were studying at their table in the Great Hall during the late afternoon.  
  
"Haven't heard a peep out of those two for an hour," Black commented. "We're going to win."  
  
"Well," Lupin added. "I still expect something terrible from her at least. You know how those snake-worshipping types are when you accuse them of being male property."  
  
"She needs a slice of humble-pie," Potter stated. "The little snake'll be dangerous when she's old enough to date."  
  
Pettigrew made a gagging sound. "Who'd want to date her?"  
  
Lupin remained quiet, although no one noticed because Black said, "Not me - I've got my sights on Anu Llewellyn."  
  
Potter giggled. "And Evans is mine - she will be mine."  
  
"In your dreams, James," Pettigrew snorted. "She's out of your league. You need to stick to your usual types - little old ladies with wispy beards that wear three overcoats and carry little bags full of string - "  
  
Potter zapped Pettigrew's bowl-cut hair to stand on end. He casually turned and grinned. "Hey, Sirius, here's your girlfriend coming in."  
  
Sirius looked up to see Anu Llewellyn stroll into the room, settle at the other end of the table, and pull a notebook and textbook from her bookbag. Her red curly hair was pulled softly back from her pale, freckled face, while her large violet eyes remained steady to her books. The Beauty of Gryffindor ... Sixth-Year, too. A worldly older woman of sixteen.  
  
"Gods, gorgeous," Sirius Black huskily intoned.  
  
Lupin's eyebrows knotted. "How'd his voice change like that suddenly?"  
  
Potter rolled his eyes. "Wait until you get a crush on someone."  
  
Pettigrew made a face. "Girls still stink."  
  
"I'm sure they think the same of you," Black snorted. "Excuse me, gentlemen, but a young lady needs my assistance to help her study."  
  
Potter grinned. "Go, man!"  
  
Sirius got up and swaggered down the table to where she was sitting. "Anu Llewellyn? Hi, Sirius Black - Third-Year."  
  
Anu looked up at him, her violet eyes sweeping over his robes, long black hair, handsome face clear of acne, smirk. "Yes, may I help you, Mr. Black?"  
  
Suddenly, Britomartis Vox ran up to him, opened his robe, and deposited a blue-ish object down the front of his trousers. With a wave of her wand and a yell of, "Ennervate!" The object began bouncing around inside his trousers.  
  
Black swore in several dialects as Martis ran out of the Great Hall and yelled, "Five o'clock, we win! Have fun with the Cornish pixie, Pixie-us Black!"  
  
Anu was laughing too hard at Black to help him in his distress, making him even more embarrassed. The rest of the Marauders attempted to grab him and haul him off someplace private.  
  
"Geez, Sirius!" Potter exclaimed. "That does not look good!"  
  
"Feels terrible!" Black shrieked in a high-pitched voice as the pixie began beating on his genitals.  
  
Lupin pulled out his wand and called out, "Diffindo!"  
  
Black's trousers split open and the pixie swooped out, chattering and zipping over their heads. Lupin immediately pointed his wand toward it and added, "Stupefy!"  
  
A bolt of red light struck the pixie, stunning it and making it fall to the ground with a quiet thunk.  
  
Black's face was red with both humiliation and rage. "THAT SNAKE-BITCH COST ME ANU LLEWELLYN! SHE'S TOAST!"  
  
* * *  
  
The next day was all too quiet.  
  
Martis and Sev accepted the congratulations on winning the Prank Day match against the Marauders during breakfast.  
  
"Quite brilliant," Oriana Crescent commented. "Sneaking a Cornish pixie out of Kettleburn's class, hitting it with a stunner, then reviving it inside Sirius Black's trousers."  
  
Peony Danderfluff giggled. "Mr. Conceited needed it. Thinks he's oh-so-hot and handsome."  
  
"Of course he isn't," Akiko Mori added. "Luscious Malfoy is."  
  
"I thought his name was 'Lucy'," Martis commented off-handedly. "Anyway, I noticed none of the Monkey-auders are at breakfast today."  
  
Sev shrugged. "I've got a bad feeling, Spirals."  
  
"Then don't eat any sausage, you know how grease upsets your digestion."  
  
"Yes, mum."  
  
* * *  
  
A note came during class asking if Britomartis Vox would please come to Miss Price's rooms concerning an important matter.  
  
Martis deposited Medusa inside her sweater, feeling the snake's smooth skin settle against her chest, then pulled her bookbag over one shoulder. She left the room quietly and held her stomach as she made her way slowly down the hallway.  
  
Darn. She warned him not to eat the sausage, so she should have taken her own advice. Her stomach had a dull ache gnawing at the bottom of it. Perhaps a visit to Nurse Pomfrey after she visited the House Mother ... it might be that stomach flu that had been going around.  
  
Wrapping her scarf around her face, Martis opened the doors and stepped outside into the snow-filled Quad, hurrying across the white expanse of lawn and drifts.  
  
She hated snow. Snow was evil. Snow - evil - cold - kill ... all of them had four-letter words she noticed.  
  
She looked up to suddenly see all four Marauders before her. All of them stood with their arms crossed, their mouths either smirking or grinning.  
  
She paused, moving to go around them, but they encircled her, standing a full head or so taller than her.  
  
"What do you want?" she finally asked.  
  
"A little payback for what you did to me yesterday," Black stated.  
  
"We won fair and square," she reminded him.  
  
"But it cost me Anu Llewellyn and a pair of trousers."  
  
Pettigrew stuck his tongue out at her and pulled down an eyelid, saying, "Nyah!"  
  
Potter whipped out his wand, making little twirling motions with it. Martis sighed. "Potter, are you completely incapable of not playing with your stick in public every five minutes?"  
  
Lupin managed to cover up a giggle with a cough.  
  
Black smirked coldly; it reminded Martis of the way Narcissa Black smirked when she thought she had one over on her. He leaned forward and cupped her chin with his hand. "Well, little miss snake-bitch, we have our own way of dealing with people who displease me - "  
  
She pulled her wand out and he snatched it away, his hand moving down her chin to her throat and grasping it, "Use any of that snake-god magic crap on me, and I will tear your throat out - " He tapped her lips with the tip of her wand and incanted, "Silencio."  
  
Martis opened her mouth and nothing came - it felt odd to feel her vocal cords and tongue forming words, but not a single sound coming from her mouth.  
  
No way to cast incantations in either this or her homeland's magics.  
  
Her fist struck out - it was caught by Potter. Pettigrew grasped her other arm.  
  
"Little girls shouldn't be so violent," Black chided her, lifting her chin up by her wand. He pulled her sunglasses off and gazed at her face. "I always wondered if you had eyes. I suppose you do ... green ... like mold." He tossed her sunglasses into the snow. "Now, the warm-ups are over."  
  
Martis' foot sailed upward, narrowly missing his crotch. He stepped back. "And as usual, you express your hatred of men by emasculating them. Figures Snivellus would become your goon since he doesn't have any balls - "  
  
Medusa slipped out from under Martis' robe, cold and still. Black looked down at the snake, then kicked it into a snow drift. "Seems your snake hates the cold ... just like you do. Well, we can do something about that."  
  
The Marauders picked her up (although just barely as she struggled quite dangerously in their grips) and tossed her into a snow drift.  
  
She opened her mouth, her lips forming curses and obscenities in their direction as they giggled. She got up but was pushed back down by Black; Potter hooked her arms back as Pettigrew and Black began shoving snow into her robes.  
  
"Guys," Lupin said. "I think that's enough."  
  
"No," Black snarled, pulling Martis' hair and dumping snow down the back of her robe. "The snake-bitch is getting off easy! If I had my way, I'd - "  
  
Lupin snatched Black's arm away. "Cut it out! We're going to end up - "  
  
"Detention's worth it," Black sneered, raising Martis' wand in her face. "And now for the coup de grace - "  
  
Potter looked up and squealed, "Hagrid's coming this way!"  
  
"Run," Black ordered, holding Martis up by her hair; she was half-conscious at this point, numb all over, and could not focus on his distorted face. "Remember this incident for as long as you live, snake-bitch."  
  
He threw her and her wand into the snowdrift and ran off after the retreating Marauders.  
  
Hagrid appeared in the Quad, looking for any skipping students. The edge of a black robe appeared from a snowdrift and Hagrid hurried over to see what it was.  
  
He pulled out a half-frozen First-Year girl with long ash blonde hair. "Oh, boy," he muttered as he wrapped her up inside his moleskin coat. "Take it easy, Martis, I'm takin' ya to Poppy."  
  
A few minutes later, Nurse Pomfrey had the half-giant put the girl on a bed and she went about getting hot water bottles, pans of hot water, and saying, "Contact the Slytherin House Mother, and get the girl's siblings - the rest of the Vox's are in Ravenclaw."  
  
* * *  
  
Sev wondered where Martis was as he entered the Great Hall. Usually they met in the antechamber before going in for lunch, but this was the first time that she had never come.  
  
Rowena Price - Slytherin House Mother - dashed into the antechamber, her puffy gray hair a mess and her round glasses askew. "Severus - come quickly to the hospital wing."  
  
"What is it, Miss Price?" he asked she gripped his hand and pulled him behind her.  
  
"Your friend - "  
  
Sev felt his heart catch in his throat. "What happened to Spirals??"  
  
They caught up with Martis' siblings - Adonia and Artemisia (Third-Year twins), Phaedra (Fifth-Year Quidditch Chaser), and Kyros (Seventh-Year boys' prefect) - who all shared identical looks of worry on their dark faces.  
  
"Severus," Kyros said. "We need your help in identifying what happened to Martis."  
  
"What happened to her??" Sev repeated.  
  
Phaedra slammed the doors to the infirmary open, her frizzy black hair nearly standing on end. "Where's baby sister?" she demanded.  
  
Nurse Pomfrey looked up and made shushing motions, then got up from beside a bed.  
  
Martis lay deathly still in the bed, her skin an ashen color and her lips nearly blue. Her ash blonde hair was wet but pulled up away from her face and trailing over the side of the bed.  
  
"Mr. Hagrid found her half-buried in a snow drift," the nurse explained. "She was half-conscious and had a silencing curse placed on her. When I removed it, she began screaming for someone to get off of her - "  
  
Sev's fingers cracked as he curled them into claws.  
  
" - and she was soaked to the bone from the snow and the cold. I also found out she has the stomach flu."  
  
"Was her snake with her?" Artemisia asked.  
  
Hagrid's eyes opened. "No, but she couldn't have gone far. I'll look for the critter."  
  
Severus pushed Adonia away and knelt next to the bed, enclosing his large hand around her small cold hand. "Gods, she feels like ice." He looked up at the nurse. "She will be better, right?"  
  
"Only in hypothermic shock right now," Nurse Pomfrey informed him. "It'll take a while to pull her out."  
  
"Poor, poor child," Miss Price cooed.  
  
Phaedra cracked her knuckles. "Who did this to her? I'm going to do a hundred-fold worse."  
  
Pomfrey tuned out the threats of the Vox siblings while Sev glowered, his face hardening.   
  
He knew who it was. He knew exactly who it was. It had gone beyond a simple prank, this was life-threatening. He was not going to lose his Martis just because some jerks got embarrassed over a stupid pixie prank. The only thing Sirius Black could have lost was the ability to breed, which would not be such a great loss to the world. This ... this was unforgivable.   
  
She had cried for them to get off her ...  
  
Nobody was going to attack his Martis and get away with it. Nobody. Even if he had to kill them.  
  
Kyros placed his hand on Sev's shoulder. "Come on, Snape, we're going to have a talk about what to do about this."  
  
"You're not blaming me for this," Sev breathed.  
  
"No," Kyros assured him. "We're going to do a little eradication of undesirables - just give me the details and my sisters and I will take care of it."  
  
"No," Sev answered. "I'm going with you to do it. I'll give you the rest of the Marauders, but you leave Sirius Black to me."  
  
"Deal," Kyros stated, offering his arm. Sev gripped the older boy's forearm in traditional agreement and the Vox siblings left the infirmary as one.  
  
Sev turned back to Martis and brushed her hair from her closed eyes. "Hang in there, Spirals, we're going to avenge you. Those monsters will regret the day they did this." He leaned close and kissed her forehead; Miss Price stopped Nurse Pomfrey from reprimanding him. Sev left the hospital wing, his wand drawn and his brows set low over his dark eyes.  
  
* * *  
  
Dinner in the Great Hall was tense that evening, to say the least. The Slytherins had all their wands drawn as they stared icy gazes toward Gryffindor's tables. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were eating at the ends of the room - without anybody sitting down and their eyes darting between the other two houses to see where the shooting would start.  
  
The Gryffindors themselves were giving dirty looks to the Marauders whom did not have the sense God gave a popsicle to be ashamed of what they did. They continued eating and talking as if they were kings of the world (although Remus Lupin felt the bad vibes enough to become paranoid about the stares). A few Gryffindors had their own wands out - not in defense - in order to join the Slytherins at getting the Marauders.  
  
The teachers at the head table were whispering amongst themselves, keeping their eyes on the students. McGonagall, Penderdandis, and Dumbledore had their heads bent close in serious discussion.  
  
It was no secret that the Marauders had attacked Britomartis Vox - the attack itself was purely a Marauder trademark with the snow.  
  
But the facts that the victim was a First-Year girl-child and was left in the snow to freeze to death was the deciding factor for the rest of the student body. Unlike with Snape, everyone genuinely liked Vox, mainly because she never gave the majority any grief and was brutally honest when asked about anything.  
  
Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black were among the Slytherins with their wands drawn.  
  
"Too much potential," Narcissa murmured. "I refuse to allow my cousin to torment my acolyte, even if she deserved it."  
  
Lucius smirked. "How beautiful you are when you're prepared to hex Gryffindors."  
  
Narcissa blushed prettily.  
  
Dinner for Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw ended sooner than the others. With a dignified-yet-discreet running for shelter, both Houses vacated the Hall quickly, enjoying the chill evening air and freezing winds outside.  
  
McGonagall called for the end of dinner at the regular time, and the Gryffindors and Slytherins cautiously exited the building.  
  
Dumbledore exhaled loudly and Professor Flitwick pulled out a kerchief to wipe his forehead.  
  
Penderdandis tented his fingers. "You should have allowed me to fireball them."  
  
McGonagall rolled her eyes behind her square-frame glasses. "You know you cannot, Gallo."  
  
"Well, I do wish you would decide upon a punishment for them quickly, otherwise I will not be held responsible for what my students do."  
  
Dumbledore raised his hand. "We have no proof it was them. We cannot do anything until Miss Vox awakens from the coma and says what happened to her."  
  
"I say the girl having to scream 'get off me' is reason enough to expel them," Professor Sinistra proclaimed.  
  
"But we still do not have proof - "  
  
"Albus, you great lunkhead!" Penderdandis roared. "One of my students was attacked and violated by Minerva's students!"  
  
"It still rests on Britomartis," Dumbledore replied calmly.  
  
Penderdandis made an ungentlemanly sound that disturbed the female teachers. "You pompous, biased, nepotistic, idiotic - "  
  
"Gallo, we are all greatly concerned about the welfare of Miss Vox - the child had a hard enough life as it is - but blindly jumping in and punishing people will not solve the problem, either."  
  
"With all due respect, Headmaster, you're a coward." The Head of Slytherin got up and stomped out of the Great Hall.  
  
* * *  
  
The ambush on the Marauders occurred in the halls just outside Gryffindor Tower.  
  
It did not help the torches were conveniently put out, making the Marauders blind in the darkness save for thin streams of moonlit shining in through the stained glass windows of the hall.  
  
But the fight was brutal, starting with two individuals tackling Peter Pettigrew and sitting on him, placing a silence curse on his lips. Another one slammed Remus Lupin into a wall, knocking him out cold and leaving his body on the floor. James Potter reached for his wand but had it knocked out of his hand, the same hand then twisted behind his back and his face smashed into a wall. A thick male voice whispered in his ear, "Shut up or I'll pull your lip over your head to the back of your neck."  
  
Sirius Black felt a foot crack down on the center on his back, sending him sprawling belly-first to the stone floor. A body landed on his back and fingers laced under his jaw, pulling his head up and back.  
  
"I'm going to break your stupid, skinny neck," a boy's voice filled with holy rage gasped. "For hurting my Martis, nothing less will do!"  
  
* * *  
  
Severus Snape never did get to break Sirius Black's neck.  
  
The attack was stopped by McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Hagrid, the three adults managing to bring in the four Vox siblings, the Marauders, and Sev into the infirmary, where Nurse Pomfrey seemed to be expecting the event. She directed the Marauders to see what their handiwork had done to the girl (Potter and Lupin were honest enough to show guilt for what they did and apologized to Martis' siblings - Pettigrew was scared while Black flippantly ignored the whole thing), then shoved them into beds and treated their wounds - it seemed Pettigrew had developed a series of slashes down his back.  
  
Nurse Pomfrey's manner was completely detached. If anything, it was inhumanly detached. She applied burning liniments, set hot poultices on open gashes and bruises, all without a comforting smile or reassuring word. Pettigrew broke first, when he saw the cold-eyed nurse coming toward him with a needle and thread for his slashes.  
  
The adults and Ravenclaw Vox's heard firsthand from Pettigrew of everything the Marauders had done to Martis, giving a fairly unbiased recitation of the attack, including verbatim dialogue of all involved. Lupin, awaking during the confession, confirmed details, followed by Potter who admitted to being the one who restrained her.  
  
Black remained quiet during the whole thing, not saying a word, only giving Sev a hard glare.  
  
"Undeniable proof, Professor Dumbledore," McGonagall stated.  
  
"Understood, Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore replied. He looked down at the Marauders. "This is an unforgivable crime. Moving from the harmlessness of pranks to intentional assault requires drastic action - Messers Black, Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew. As a pure formality, Gryffyndor will be fined four hundred points. But as for you, your parents will be contacted, those on the Quidditch team will be suspended for the year, you will be pulled from regular classes and will serve an in-school suspension for the rest of the school year, and you will go on a tour of Azkaban to see what could have happened to you if Professor Penderdandis had his way."  
  
The four boys were obviously frightened now, save for Sirius Black who still attempted defiance by facial expression. "And what of our attackers, Headmaster? The ones who drew blood? Snape threatened to break my neck!"  
  
"Pity he didn't finish the job," Pomfrey commented. "It would be easier to heal up than what he did manage to do."  
  
"Death is too kind and brief," the Vox siblings stated together. Kyros stepped forward. "For the trespasses against our youngest sister, we felt we were right in our actions. If you expel us, we will not recant."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head. "No one is getting expelled. The four young men made a wager, lost, then showed extreme bad sportsmanship." The uniquely British anger in Dumbledore's voice showed his contempt for that last and lowest crime. "You expressed your displeasure with their treatment of your sister. In this case, I will overlook your actions."  
  
"You can't - !" Black began.  
  
McGonagall stepped toward his bed, her green robes sweeping around her ankles. "Yes, he can, Mr. Black. You do not seem to understand the trouble you are in. I do believe you will once you realize you cannot play on the Quidditch team." She pursed her lips. "Perhaps even the tour of Azkaban will help."  
  
He shut his mouth and gently lay his head back on the pillow.  
  
Sev was quiet the entire time, sitting on Martis' bed and holding her hand gently. He was a complete mess with his black hair all over the place and his tie undone and shirt looking like it took most of the scuffle, but his face was filled with more concern and compassion than the adults had ever witnessed.  
  
McGonagall clapped her hands. "I'll inform Professor Flitwick of your actions," she said to the Vox siblings. "Meanwhile, go back to your dorms. Good night."  
  
"Good night, Professor McGonagall and Headmaster," the Vox siblings replied as they left.  
  
Hagrid nervously shuffled back and forth. "Well, if I'm not needed - oh, 'fore I forget, I found somethin' that belongs to Martis." He pulled a python from his coat. "She's still a little dazed, but she's doin' well. Keep her warm and all."  
  
Sev accepted the snake from the large, hairy man. "Thanks, Hagrid."  
  
"Eh, Medusa's only a baby still." He grinned and patted Martis' cheek gently. "You tell me how she's doing, eh?"  
  
Sev nodded and Hagrid left the room.  
  
Nurse Pomfrey drew curtains around the beds of the Marauders as she said, "Now, boys, this is going to be a rough night for the lot of you ... "  
  
McGonagall inhaled deeply and stated, "I'll get to owling their parents - and I'll contact Professors Flitwick and Penderdandis. Good night."  
  
"Good night, Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore replied. She left the room as well and the Headmaster pulled up a chair to sit beside the two friends. "Severus ... I understand you were the ringleader of this counterattack."  
  
Sev looked up at the 'former-Gryffindor' Headmaster. His face hardened. "Yes." He squeezed Martis' hand. "I ... wasn't in my right mind ... all I know was that someone hurt Martis ... "  
  
"Revenge isn't a pleasant dish," Dumbledore commented.  
  
"Perhaps not," Sev agreed as he settled Medusa in his lap. "But bitter satisfaction isn't the issue."  
  
Dumbledore was amazed at the boy's understanding. "The friendship between two people has ties that can run deeper than those held by family or blood."  
  
"Yes," Sev confirmed softly. "Much deeper, and not understood by anyone. They sure as hell didn't know - they seemed to honestly think I would let this go, that I wouldn't do anything about it. They hurt her, they hurt Spirals, they attacked the only person ... the only person that even remotely cared for me and that I adored." Tears spilled over his eyelids, shame pouring through his veins for breaking into tears before the Headmaster. "I don't have anyone, Professor, just Martis. Just Martis. The thought of losing her because of them ... I could not accept that."  
  
Dumbledore slowly reached over and placed his hand over Sev and Martis' hands. He noted the boy's flinch by the simple touch. "As long as I'm here, I will not allow anything to happen to her."  
  
"Thank you, Headmaster." Sev wiped the tears with the sleeve of his shirt. "I'm sorry about the counterattack, but I'm not sorry for why it was done."  
  
"I don't think anything like this will happen again, son. The boys known as the Marauders will not forget the sights of Azkaban soon enough." He smiled. "And when they return to regular classes next year, they will go back to more harmless pranks - and I expect you and Miss Vox will return them in kind."  
  
Sev looked up at the Headmaster, surprised to hear these words from him. "Sir?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled conspiratorially. "To be honest, young Mister Snape, this has been the most entertaining year at Hogwarts I've ever witnessed in many, many ages. I do encourage you and Britomartis to continue your friendship and your pranks for as long as you need to."  
  
Sev smiled, squeezing her hand. "She's good for my soul."  
  
"Most women are." He stood up. "Nurse Pomfrey will dismiss you. Good night."  
  
"Good night, sir."  
  
Dumbledore left the room. Sev caressed hair from Martis' forehead, gazing into her sleeping face. "Well, we did it," he breathed. "Kyros, Artemisia, Adonia, Phaedra, and I avenged you as much as we could. Although I still wanted to break Black's neck." He wiped his eyes again. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, Spirals. You're always having to protect me, and the one time you needed me to protect you, I wasn't there. I won't let it happen again. I promise you."  
  
He placed Medusa on Martis' chest, and both snake and girl began their recovery.  
  
* * *  
  
A few days later, Martis was lucid enough to ask, "Where are they so I can wring their stupid necks?"  
  
"Good afternoon to you, too, Miss Vox," Nurse Pomfrey replied. "The delinquents in question are on their way to Azkaban - "  
  
"Oh, good, an appropriate place for them."  
  
" - for a tour of what they could go through."  
  
Martis sighed, feeling Medusa slip around under her neck. "Pity." She suddenly sat up. "Where's Snips?"  
  
"Snips?" the nurse repeated.  
  
"Severus Snape."  
  
"In classes right now, I reckon. Lay back down, you're still recovering from the stomach flu." She pressed the girl back down to the bed.  
  
"Well, it explains why it feels like a shredder's in my stomach." She lay back on her pillow and noticed the cards lining the table next to her head.  
  
'Get well soon, Martis.'  
  
'It's too quiet here, Spirals.'  
  
'Long live Spirals!'  
  
'Coupon good for a Marauder butt-kicking when you're well again.'  
  
'We miss you, you pain-in-the-neck.'  
  
'Get better soon - Snape's become impossible.'  
  
She picked up one card covered in stylized scissor and spiral drawings and opened it:   
  
'Spirals, In case I'm not here when you wake up, I'll be here soon.   
  
I miss you so much and I can't wait to talk to you again. Get well fast.   
  
-Snips   
  
PS: The Cornish Pixie Stix are from me.'  
  
Martis looked up to see Headmaster Dumbledore enter the infirmary. She pulled herself up, feeling the bedside table for her sunglasses which she knew Sev had placed there for her. She slipped the sunglasses on and murmured, "Headmaster."  
  
"Good afternoon, Britomartis," he answered, sitting in the chair next to her bed. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Contagious, a little cold; the Marauders - "  
  
"Are being taken care of," he assured her. "You won't have to worry about them for the rest of the school year."  
  
She shrugged. "I rather enjoyed the pranking. Guess it'll have to wait until next year." She looked up at him. "What happened?"  
  
He explained to her what happened as she sat silently and listened. When he finished, she asked, "Are my sisters and brother in trouble at all?"  
  
"Not at all. Neither is Severus, the master of the attack. Normally a situation like this would demand massive point removal and expulsion, but the nature of those involved prevent such actions from being taken. Professor Penderdandis is merely relieved the situation is over, Professor McGonagall is also relieved." He took her hand. "What those boys did to you was horrendous, Britomartis ... "  
  
"I half-expected it, sir," she stated. "But it's still a surprise when it happens." She leaned forward and drew her arms around the old man's chest, resting her cheek against his silver beard. "It still scared me. I couldn't defend myself when Black silenced me ... and ... and then when they ... " She broke into tears, hugging him tightly.  
  
Dumbledore held her gently, stroking her long ash blonde hair as she devoured the comfort he offered her. "My poor child," he murmured. "My poor child."  
  
Martis was not certain why she broke into tears when she hugged the old man. There was something about him that radiated love and compassion on a different level from what she had known all her life. Was this the 'fatherly love' she had read and heard of? If this was it, then she wanted to drown in it. In these last few minutes, Headmaster Dumbledore had been more of a father to her than her own father had in the previous twelve years of her life. She briefly wondered if the Headmaster would object much if she called him 'Father'.  
  
She composed herself once again and looked over his shoulder to the doorway. "Snips!"  
  
Dumbledore looked up to see Sev standing in the doorway, his bookbag over his shoulder. A wide smile overcame the boy's face as he ran into the room and jumped onto the other side of the bed and pulled her into a hug.  
  
"Gods, don't do that again, Spirals!" he scolded her. "You scared the hell out of me!"  
  
Martis hugged him back, grinning, "I didn't like it, either." She looked up to see Headmaster Dumbledore quietly move away from the two friends. "Headmaster. Thank you."  
  
He nodded. "Always, my children." His fingers hovered over the Cornish Pixie Stix. "May I?"  
  
Both nodded and he picked up one as he left the hospital wing.  
  
Sev pulled back and both held the other's hands, grinning at each other. "It was boring without you. I had to listen to Malfoy lord over everyone."  
  
"I was stuck in an inbetween place."  
  
"What was it like?"  
  
"Like listening to Narcissa Black drone on about beauty aids." She leaned forward and brushed his hair out of his face. "You need a bath, Snips."  
  
"I had more important things to worry about," he protested. He held her face in his hands. "Namely, you. I'm so sorry I wasn't there - "  
  
"Well, you finished it, and that's all I'd ever ask of you." She pulled his hands from her face and she hugged him, snuggling against his chest. "What should we do now that the Marauders are gone for the rest of the school year?"  
  
"Enjoy it while we can," Sev answered, slipping his arms around her and squeezing her close. "I think I may have gotten your stomach flu."  
  
"We share everything else, why not viruses, too?"  
  
He hugged her again, smiling so wide he felt his face ache. It did not matter - his Spirals was well and alive.  
  
-End- 


End file.
